The field of the invention relates to amusement or theme park attractions and rides. Various forms of amusement rides have been used for many years in amusement or theme parks. These include traditional rides such as roller coasters, round rides and water rides.
Certain types of amusement rides incorporate themes to entertain guests during the ride. The themes include elements such as visual, audio and sensory elements. For example, amusement rides may have a particular song or musical composition playing over loudspeakers within the vicinity of the amusement ride vehicle. The song or musical composition is heard by all riders on the ride, and possibly by those waiting in line to ride the amusement ride. The musical composition is selected by the ride operator or designer to complement the theme of the amusement ride and add to the guest's experience.
Examples of audio systems for delivering the same audio to all riders in an amusement ride vehicle or attraction include U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,473 which describes an audio system for roller coasters to provide high quality sound over extreme background noise and U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,370 which describes a headrest-mounted acoustic device having a speaker in a hollow of the headrest.
An amusement ride in which a synthesized speech segment corresponding to each guest on the ride based on inputs before the ride is found at Universal Orlando's E.T. amusement ride. Prior to starting the ride, a ride attendant types the name of the guest rider into a speech synthesizer system. The speech synthesizer system generates a bar code for the guest rider which is then swiped at a reader just prior to entering the ride vehicle. At the end of the ride, an animated character containing a speech synthesizer and loudspeaker appears to say each guest rider's name in the ride vehicle as the ride vehicle passes the character. The synthesized speech is not personalized for each rider, as the speech is directed simultaneously at all of the passengers in the ride vehicle.
In all of the prior systems, only a single audio selection is played for all guests on a ride to hear. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved personalized audio system for amusement rides to enhance the overall ride experience.